RecycleMania wrapped up its 2007 college recycling contest with over 41,370,000 pounds of recyclables and organics recovered from 201 colleges and universities across the country.

The total amount of recyclables and organic materials recovered during the 2007 competition prevented the release of 15,583 metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE). In real world terms, this reduction in green house gases is equivalent to eliminating the impact caused in a year by 12,367 passenger cars; electric generation to power 7,335 households; or the consumption of 6,507,707 gallons of gasoline.

Schools that participate in both the “Per Capita Classic,” which measures the largest amount of recyclables per person, and the “Waste Minimization” competition, which tracks the lowest amount of waste per person, can earn the title of RecycleMania “Grand Champion.” This year, Cal State San Marcos clocked a recycling rate of 59.94 percent and was crowned the RecycleMania “Grand Champion”.

The “Per Capita Classic” top three finalists, determined by pounds of recyclables collected per person, are:

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (101.12 pounds), Palisades, New York

Sheldon Jackson College (93.21 pounds), Sitka, Alaska

Kalamazoo College (75.03 pounds), Kalamazoo, Michigan

The “Waste Minimization” top three finalists, determined by the lowest amount of waste (recyclables and trash) per person, are:

University of Texas at Austin (31.97 pounds), Austin, Texas

City College of San Francisco (33.58 pounds), San Francisco, California